


The Day They All Forgot...

by TonyStark941



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: F/M, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Insecure Tony Stark, M/M, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-01-26 19:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12564768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonyStark941/pseuds/TonyStark941
Summary: He thought it would be different. He really hoped it would be.It was Tony Stark's birthday tomorrow, his first ever birthday with the Avengers. He was excited to spend the day with his boyfriend and family.It seems they didn't really have the same idea.Basically, the Avengers forget  Tony's birthday, opening up lots of insecurities. Jam-packed full of angst, confusion and feels.But it's not just that. Something dark is on the horizon, and it seems no one knows but him...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, 
> 
> I just want to say thank you to you all for commenting and reading my story! Remember to hit that kudos button!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. Tony will be very insecure and anxious right now, and there will be some (LOTS) of angst. 
> 
> The next chapter will be up tomorrow, and will be the birthday scene, where the Avengers forget. I am going to add a slight twist just to make it a bit more interesting. 
> 
> This work will have around 3-5 chapters, so remember to bookmark and comment. If you haven't left kudos, press that button!
> 
> PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE KEEP commenting!!!! I LOVE comments!!
> 
> This is my first ever fanfiction so please be nice! 
> 
> Thanks everybody and enjoy the story!
> 
> \- TonyStark941

Tony Stark was excited. Actually, that was the understatement of the year. Tony Stark was bursting with excitement. He couldn't wait to have a whole day devoted to him- and him only. No more watching Steve parade around with Bucky and leaving Tony alone. No more being ignored or let down or being made fun of. 

Tomorrow, it was Tony's day. 

And Tony couldn't wait. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was a beautiful day in New York, and Tony and Bruce were busy designing stretchable Hulk-pants. Tony was chatting animatedly, excited for his birthday the next day, whilst Bruce would laugh with a certain fondness for the eccentric genius. 

"Pass the tablet, Brucie-Bear," Tony said with happiness in his voice. Bruce felt pleased to see his friend so relaxed. The two scientists had been working on the pants for hours, but they weren't any closer to actually making a working pair. Anyhow, they were still having fun, and Tony hadn’t felt this happy in ages. 

"Tony, maybe we should go and eat something. We've been here for hours and I'm pretty sure you've had no breakfast...or lunch, actually." Bruce paused, as if he were deep in thought. "You know what, Tony?I think that we're finished for the day". Bruce said, a layer of concern dancing in his words. 

"But-"

"Tony, the pants can wait. They’ll be here when we get back. I would rather have my healthy Science Bro than some stretchy pants. Come on." Bruce said, watching in satisfaction as Tony reluctantly nodded in agreement. He saved their progress, and the two of them walked out of their shared lab. The pair talked until they got to the communal kitchen, where it seemed that the rest of the Avengers had been waiting for them, supposedly for the weekly movie night that took place in the lounge. 

There were six big buckets of popcorn on the small coffee table in front of them, and another on Clint’s lap. Him and Natasha were sitting pressed against each other on one couch, and there was a space for two people to sit next to them. It was a very big couch. Obviously. Tony looked over to where Steve was sitting on the love seat, and was about to walk over to sit with him when he realised his usual space had been occupied. By the one and only Bucky, of course. The sight of the Steve looking so relaxed with Bucky broke Tony's heart. He stood there, side-by-side with Bruce, blinking tears out of his eyes. He was pretty sure Steve never looked like that around him. Clint must have noticed the tense silence because he quickly opted to break it. 

"Hey guys, we were just about to call you. 'Wanna watch Star Trek or Batman vs Superman?" he said, munching on his popcorn. He suddenly realised that Natasha was sneakily taking handfuls of popcorn out of his bowl. He looked like he wanted to swat her hand away, but one look at her face and he suddenly had a soft, dopey expression. 

"Batman, obviously," Tony said, as he flopped down onto the sofa next to Clint, Bruce following his lead. He eyed the love seat warily, aware that Bucky and Steve were sitting very close together- much closer than he was actually comfortable with. He felt a rush of anxiety and insecurity in his chest, but pushed down the feeling, averting his eyes to the television, where the opening credits of the film began rolling in. "You do know that Christian Bale is actually way better than Affleck. You can't even tell that he's a billionaire with his crummy suit."

Steve laughed. "I think that Affleck is perfect for the role- his acting is perfect!"

"Actuall-"

"Shhhhhh. I'm trying to watch this!" Clint exclaimed. Tony noticed Bucky smirking. No one spoke after that.

They were at the beginning of the fight scene between the two heroes, when Tony heard noises coming from the love seat. He looked over to where his boyfriend was sitting to see the two super soldiers holding hands and whispering to each other. They looked like some perfect couple. They must have noticed him staring because Steve let go of Bucky's hand, and the two stopped conversing. Tony felt sick. 

All Tony wanted was for Steve to love him. For his boyfriend to show some love and appreciation towards him. It was fine for the first year of them dating, and whenever Tony looked unhappy, Steve would instantly quash the feeling, simply by smiling or being in his presence. However, since Bucky had returned, Steve had been attached at the hip to the Winter Soldier. They would spend all of their time together.It broke Tony’s heart slowly and painfully to know that he wasn’t good enough for captain America. 

He already knew that he would never be good enough- it had been drilled into his brain by daddy-dearest. There was a vulnerable side of him that really thought that Steve thought he was worth it. Worth enough to be in a relationship with him. Sure, they had their fights, but they were still happy together. Now? Now it felt like Steve didn’t even realise he was in a relationship with him. 

Tony was sick of lying to him, saying that he was fine with him and Bucky always together; if Tony’s sadness meant Steve's happiness, then so be it. It was the price he would pay for being himself. Tony was undeserving of love- Bucky and Steve were clearly meant to be together. Maybe if Tony was out of the way, the soldiers would have no one stopping them. Stopping them from being the golden couple, the couple the press would go mad for, the one that would set up relationship standards. It made Tony feel like a complete waste of space knowing that he was the one in the way of a perfect romance. He was a waste of space. 

Two fingers snapped annoyingly in his face, and he focused back into the room to see Thor in front of his face, asking him with concern if something was wrong. Looking up he realised that Steve was getting up and walking towards him, and the rest of the team were looking at him with concern. Probably fake. No one like him. Tony didn’t even like himself. 

When Steve lay a large hand on his soldier, Tony couldn't help his flinch. He was a waste of space. Steve tore his hand away like he had been burnt. Steve's hurt and mildly confused expression confirmed his fears. All Tony did was hurt people. 

He really needed to get away before he had a panic attack in front of them. Perhaps if he did, they would realise he was a liability, someone not fit to be in the Avengers. Maybe they would kick him off. Send him away. He certainly deserved it. 

“Tones, are you okay? Do you want me to get you anything?” Steve asked, sounding sad. He was probably angry at Tony. 

"I think I'm just going to head off to bed now. 'Bit tired, ya know... sorry about that guys." Tony mumbled, quickly exiting the room, dark thoughts swirling in his head. He barely heard Steve calling his name. 

Tony undressed slowly, thinking about his and Steve's relationship. Steve loved him, he knew that, it was just that Steve was neglecting Tony, and Tony was tired of it. Tomorrow, he was going to make Steve choose between him and Bucky. He would then know whether or not he was wanted. 

He out the shower on, and savoured the hot water trickling down his back. Wrong word choice. Very wrong. 

Tony whimpered as flashbacks of waterboarding and torture came back to him, reminders of the hell he had faced in Afghanistan. He curled into a ball, rocking himself back and forth, crying softly. The water suddenly turned off. JARVIS of course. 

“Sir, you seem to be having a panic attack. Would you like me to call Mr Rogers?” JARVIS asked, somehow conveying concern in his voice. 

“I…I…it’s fine. Don't worry him. I’m okay.” Hesitantly, Tony climbed out of the shower, shaking still. He got his silky pyjamas and put them on after drying himself and climbed into his bed. His and Steve’s bed. Burying into the sheets, he tried to sleep, finding comfort in Steve's scent on the pillow. 

Water. 

Seven Rings.

“Bring him up now. You’ll kill him.”

“Not as strong as you look, are you, Stark?”

Screams.

His screams. 

“Tony!”

“Tony!”

“Tony wake up!”

Steve. Steve was here. His boyfriend. He would keep Tony safe. 

Curling in a ball, Tony hugged into Steve, breathing in his woody scent and taking comfort in the warmth of the strong, muscular arms that enveloped him. 

“It’s okay, Tony. You’re safe. I’m here.” Steve said in a soothing voice. 

“No. You’re not. You’re never here anymore. You’re always with Bucky and never me. Do you hate me? Have I done something wrong?” Tony whimpered, tears staining his cheeks, the salty water going onto Steve’s soft t-shirt. 

There was a long pause. 

Steve shifted, and suddenly Tony was being picked up. Steve sat on the bed carding his fingers gently through Tony’s hair. Tony was surprised to feel wetness dripping onto his hair from Steve’s face. It seemed Steve was crying as well. 

“Oh, Tony. I’m so sorry. I didn't realise. Oh God. What have I done? I… I’ve been awful to you. No wonder you've been so quiet. It's all my fault. Look, nothing is happening between me and Bucky. I promise you. I love you so much. I wouldn't be able to survive with you. I’ll make it up to you. I swear.” Steve said, his voice full of self-hatred- an emotion Tony was all to familiar with these days. 

“Swear?”

“I swear to you. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m not going to let you go due to my stupidity.” Tony only nodded in response. 

"Tony... why did you never tell me how you felt? You know, with me and Bucky?" said Steve. 

"I thought you hated me and loved Bucky. No one would choose me- Pepper went off with the guy from R&D, and never came back. It was something I prepared myself for ever since our relationship. I'm no one's special snowflake."

"You're mine. You're important to everyone. You privatised world piece, you save the world on an almost daily basis. What would we do without our Tony? You make everyone laugh, you bring happiness. Bucky may be my best friend, but you're my boyfriend. Don't you ever forget that."

"I won't," Tony mumbled. 

The two heroes fell asleep in each others' arms. Tony hoped Steve would do something nice tomorrow. To make amends, to banish Tony's insecurities for good. 

 

Looking back, Tony realised he shouldn't have set up high hopes for his birthday. No one actually cared about him. No one at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!
> 
> Thanks so much everyone for commenting, leaving Kudos and bookmarking this work. As promised, here is the next chapter. 
> 
> I have decided that I'm going to break Tony's birthday into multiple chapters, because I want to cram as many feels as I can into my work. 
> 
> I just want to clarify that this my first work, and I'm pretty sure descriptive writing is not my strong point, so don't start going killing me with comments if you hate this. Just by the way :)
> 
>  
> 
> If you spot any errors tell me, because I was looking over the previous chapter and found LOTS of mistakes. Let's just say I had to do a quick edit. 
> 
> I am also really thankful to everyone who is reading my story- I'm sure many of you fellow fan fiction writers agree with me that people commenting and giving Kudos to your work just makes your day!
> 
> BTW I hope that the chapter size isn't too short!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this!!
> 
> \- TonyStark941

Tony woke up the next day to an empty bed. 

It was a bright and sunny day, the birds were chirping and New York was filled with noise. It was May 29th; it was Tony’s birthday- the day he had been yearning for had finally arrived. 

Tony snuggled under the blankets, not liking that Steve’s side was cold.

“Good morning, sir. The day is Monday 29th 2017. The forecast today will be bright and sunny all day with a 50% chance of precipitation at around 8pm. Happy birthday, Mr Stark.” JARVIS chimed, his calm voice washing over Tony. 

“Thanks, JARVIS,” Tony replied. 

Looking back of the previous night, Tony felt embarrassed after having said what he has said Steve. He really wished that he hadn't; Tony probably looked even weaker now. Perhaps Steve would realise his mistake in loving a complete fuck-up like Tony, and would prefer someone strong and independent, like James Buchanan Barnes- after all, Tony was just a guy with a whole lot of issues, which was confirmed (very hurtfully, must he add) when he caught Pepper cheating on him before they broke up. 

Though, was it bad that at the same time, Tony was relieved to have gotten that off his chest? It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and now he felt that he could suddenly breathe again. Steve had sounded so desperate to make it right between them and Tony couldn't help but believe him. Tony knew that Steve loved him- it wasn’t Tony’s fault if he had a vulnerable side that doubted everything, ranging from himself to his relationship with Steve, and also pretty much anything good in his life. Tony was still waiting for the day when he would wake up one day and discover it had all been a dream. 

Tony mentally shoved the feeling of doubt out of his head, and immediately jumped up, remembering that it was his birthday. Today, Tony would finally have a proper birthday party celebrated with his loved ones- his mismatched, totally awesome superhero family. This birthday would be different from the rest. Gone were the drunken bashes, no more birthdays celebrated with Howard staggering surely around the house, yelling about his 'disappointment of a son’, gone were the birthdays that Tony would spend in his lab not doing anything but forcing down difficult memories. 

The delicious smell of bacon soon wafted to his bedroom, the smell making his mouth water and tummy rumble. Maybe Steve was making him breakfast in bed? It wasn’t exactly uncommon- the two Avengers would often have breakfast in bed when celebrating or if they were just too lazy to go downstairs and eat. Tony loved breakfast-in-bed, and Steve knew it.

He picked up his StarkTablet and the latest version of Natasha’s widow bites, and climbed back into bed, so that he could entertain himself when waiting for Steve. Tony had been sat their for one hour and had finished three projects, designed a new model of Clint’s bow and upgraded the widow bites, when he grudgingly accepted that no one was going to come for him. 

Tony showered and dressed quickly, making sure that he looked neat and tidy, before walking out of his penthouse suite and into his private elevator. 

“Where are the Avengers currently at, JARVIS?” Tony said. 

“The Avengers are currently situated in the communal kitchen, and they seem to be having breakfast together.” his AI said. 

"Thanks, J. You're awesome. Take me to their floor."

"Sir...maybe that isn't such a good idea...Don't you need to finish those pants you are making for the Hulk?"

"Those can wait! Anyways, I’ve already done almost a day’s worth of work in an hour. Plus I’ve got things to do, brekkie to eat and a birthday to celebrate. God, I’m old now, aren’t I, Jay?” Tony said, trying to pretend that JARVIS didn’t warn him not to go. It wasn’t uncommon for his beloved AI to be overprotective over him, especially when doubting a good outcome of a situation. 

“If you think turning thirty-two is old... I will then agree with you, if I must be so forward.” JARVIS said, his voice somehow laced with amusement. 

Tony chuckled fondly and shoved his hands in his pockets to stop his nervous fidgeting. The silence was daunting.

The ride seemed to last for eternity, and when the doors finally opened, his palms were sweating in anticipation. Or maybe it was anxiety. Probably the latter. Tony stepped out of the elevator, and nervous smile on his face. 

The team were sitting down on the his big kitchen table, which had been filled with food, ranging from chocolate chip waffles to black budding (which he was pretty sure no one ate, but he wasn't going to complain if it was they were celebrating his birthday). 

There were bright red balloons and everyone was laughing and chatting with each other. Natasha was perched on Clint's lap, Bruce in his green and purple Hulk Smash! pyjamas on the barstool next to them, a plate of fruit in front of him. Thor was swinging Mjolnir around like it weighed nothing, his mouth stuffed with pop tarts, crumbs flying left, right and centre as he entertained whoever would listen of his ‘great battles in the Nine Realms”. Steve was sitting between Bruce and Bucky, and the three of them were chatting animately with each other. 

They looked like they had been there a long time, as there were lots f dirty dishes littering the countertops, and there was confetti all over them, sparkly hats on the tops of their heads. 

Tony cleared his throat and walked over to where Steve sat, and gently rested his palms on the former's shoulders. Steve looked up at him, a content smile on his face. He looked absolutely ravishing today, dressed in a dark blue t-shirt and casual black trousers. His top was very tight. A bit too tight. It actually made Tony slightly flustered. 

"So...I'm pretty sure we don't usually eat this much food at breakfast time. And it's definitely not Christmas. And no one almost died. So... what's the occasion?" Tony asked, announcing his presence. There was an excited glint in his eyes. 

Steve rolled his eyes, laughing. "Don't be silly, of course it's a special occasion! How on Earth could you have forgotten that it’s-” 

Steve looked so hot today, and his blonde hair seemed to shine in the spring sun like pure, precious gold. Tony loved Steve’s clear, blue eyes, and he couldn't wait for-

“-Bucky's birthday! Old guy’s turning one hundred." Steve smiled at Bucky and Bucky returned it. Tony eyed their touching hands laying on the table. 

Wait…what? It was Bucky’s birthday?

May 29th. Tony’s birthday. James Buchanan Barnes’ birthday too, apparently. Another thing that Bucky had taken from him.  
Was it too much to hope that he could be special for just once in his life? Could he not even have that? First Steve, then the team’s love, now his birthday. All Bucky did was take, take, take from him. 

"It's your birthday? Today...?" Tony asked. Bucky merely smiled in response. A horrible, evil, knowing smile, that made Tony think of Afghanistan and his most recent kidnapping with Hydra. Tony, for the second day in a row felt sick.

"Oh..." was his clever response. Steve was looking at him in a strange way, and the assassin duo were glaring at him in anger. Thor looked disappointed in Tony, like Tony had just triggered Bucky, and Bruce had a confused, maybe concerned look on his face.

They had forgotten his birthday. His so-called family had actually forgotten his birthday. Was he that unimportant? Was he really not good enough to celebrate a birthday with? Could he not even have one day where people actually smiled at him, laughed with him, made him feel wanted for once in his life? Just one day was all that he was asking for, and, somehow, he couldn’t even get that. 

"Friend Stark, is it not Midgard custom to wish your comrade-in-arms a happy birthday? Is it not a standard occasion to celebrate such a grand warrior’s birthday? ” Thor boomed, making Tony flinch. The team was still looking at him expectantly. 

Tony should just play along. He was Tony fucking Stark, and if anyone could do it, he was pretty sure he could. He was unworthy of them. His birthday did not deserve to be celebrated, in fact, Tony should never have been born- he was a mistake. Howard told him so every single year until he died. It wasn't like Tony didn't already know. He should never have held onto that last shred of hope, shouldn't have believed that the team would remember anything about him. He shouldn't have expected to celebrate his birthday properly, for the first time ever in his whole life.

Tony looked over to the table, hoping to sit down. If the team didn’t remember his birthday, that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a good time with them. Tony checked for any empty seats, but only had one, which Bucky had dominated, his feet resting on it. Tony wasn’t emotionally grounded enough to ask him to move his legs, so instead opted to stay stood up. He plastered his ‘press smile’ on his face, and turned to Bucky. 

“Happy birthday, Barnes. Turning one hundred already? And I thought Stevie over here was old.” he said what he hoped was a blasé attitude. 

Bucky smiled at him, but it looked slightly predatory. 

“Didn’t Howard tell ya to not mock people’s ages. Ain’t as funny as ya think ya are. You should take a leaf outta his book. Maybe ya’ll learn a thing or two about manners. He was a much better man than you are at this age. He created the first super soldier. You parade around in a little red and gold suit, hiding from the rest of us whilst your team sort out your messes.”

Tony barely concealed his flinch at the cold words. What did he do wrong to make Barnes act so coldly towards him? He hated it when people compared him to Howard, as if Tony was a waste of space, and that Howard should be there instead of him. 

“Rude…. totally uncalled for. That was really cold. And I actually do know quite a bit about manners- I’m the perfect gentleman. How do you think I became the head of a multi-billion pound earning company?”

“Maybe ‘cause Howard gave it to ya? All you are is a spoilt, rich boy that don’t know nothing about hardships.” Bucky said, pure malice in his tone. Tony looked over to the team, hoping for backup or support, but they seemed happy without him, talking amongst themselves. 

Tony tried to end the conversation by grabbing a piece of toast, but a cold, metal hand pushed it away and yanked his arm. 

“Ya are a complete waste o’ space, Stark. Stevie deserves me, not ya. Go back to wherever ya came from, and go waste Daddy’s money, us big boys still have your latest mess to fix. Ta-ra.” Bucky said to him. 

Tony tried to say something, but no words left his mouth. Barnes had let go of his arms, and was looking at him intensely. Tony felt his hands shaking. 

The billionaire was terrified of Barnes. The words ‘Stevie deserves me, not ya’ echoed in his head, again and again and again. Tony already felt terrible today, what with the Avengers and Steve forgetting his birthday, and the cold, harsh words from his boyfriend’s best friends. 

Tony felt rattled to the core, and started to walk out of the kitchen when he heard Steve asking Bucky where Tony was going. Bucky told him the Tony felt sick but not to worry, as JARVIS would take care of him. Tony turned back for a fraction of a second, and felt broken inside when he saw Steve kiss Bucky’s cheek. 

Tony was glad that his back was to them, as even he couldn’t stop the steady flow of tears pouring down his cheeks. 

“Ya are a complete waste of space, Stark.”

“Complete waste of space…”

“You’re a waste of space, son.”

Tony slid down the wall of the elevator and cried.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony wiped the sweat off his forehead, feeling exhausted from the hours of hard work he had been doing in his workshop since the ‘unfortunate’ conversation between Bucky. He knew that it wasn’t the most adult thing to practically run out of the room, but all he could feel in that moment was his heart breaking and the anxiety beginning to settle in.

Tony had thought and thought and thought about what Bucky had said to him, and still couldn’t shake off the feeling that Barnes was actually right; Steve had been distant ever since Bucky had come back, and Tony felt like second-best. He almost expected Steve to come up to him one day and end their relationship with some truthful words on how Bucky was so much more preferable than Tony was. Tony wouldn't blame him, either. Even Tony wouldn't pick himself.

The sound of AC/DC blasted through the speakers, and the room shone a brilliant blue from the hologram of the latest model of the Iron Man armour, which was currently only half designed, deftly placed in the middle of the workshop. There were tools all over the work bench, and blueprints full of annotations and modifications hanging on the wall. Natasha’s widow bites were sitting finished in front of him, as well as Steve’s new Kevlar suit and Clint’s even newer upgraded arrows. 

Even though the team seemed to hate him, he still needed to make their equipment and suits. Tony knew that they were in my friends because if his money and his genius, and he didn't want them to all leave if he stopped. That would mean that he would have to accept what was happening; it just wasn't something he could do. Tony knew that most people wanted him for his money- he had been all to familiar with this all his life, where it seemed like everybody up, up until Rhodey, used him. Even Pepper did. She would always buy herself dresses and designer items without asking him first. He didn't mind at first, but when he found that she had tried to change his will so that she could inherit all of the Stark riches, he put his foot down. Tony really believed that the Avengers liked him for him, not his money. He was obviously wrong. He was wrong a lot these days.

A loud knock cut through the air, making Tony jump and his thoughts halt. Cautiously, he bent round the desk, trying to see who it was; Tony really hoped it wasn't Barnes. Unfortunately, he couldn't get a good look, as the lab was in lockdown mode, and all Tony could see was a silhouette outside the blacked windows. "Who is it, JARVIS?" 

 

“Sir, it is Mr Rogers is requesting entry. He seems quite insistent that he sees you. Shall I let him in?” JARVIS asked, making Tony pause. Ugh. It seemed the last person Tony wanted to see was Steve, but he felt like he had no choice but to let him in. He didn't want Steve to get angry.

 

“Let him in.” the engineer replied, somewhat doubtfully. 

Tony watched as his boyfriend marched into the room, a present in his hands, an excited expression on his face. He looked like he was looking for something, judging by the way his eyes were darting around the room. HIs cheeks were rosy and hair all ruffled; it seemed Steve had been having a lot of fun...without him. Tony didn't want to sound sadistic, but it did hurt that Steve always seemed to have more fun when he wasn't there. Also, the fact that Steve had waited hours to go to Tony suggested something Tony didn't even want to begin to think of.

“Bucky. His present. Where is it?.” Huh? Noting Tony’s confused expression, Steve indicated to the present in his hands. “We’re opening presents, and everyone wants you there- especially Bucky. I told them I would try to get you up, but if you're not coming, I want to give him your present.”

Oh great. Oh no. Haha. Funny. Fuck you, Rogers. Fuck you, Barnes. 

“Ha. No thanks. I’ve got a time-sensitive experiment running in here, and I don’t want to have to start over.” Tony forced out, upset at Steve's harsh tone. 

“Tony… he’s my best friend. I came to Rhodey’s party. I sat there, gave him a present, acted friendly. You know how much Bucky means to me- why can’t you just come upstairs and give him your present?” Steve said, in an almost angry tone. 

Tony was so scared of disappointing Steve. “Sorry, I’ll come. I didn’t realise that it was Bucky’s birthday today, so it came as a bit of a shock. I’ll give him one of my guns or something- he’ll like that, won’t he?”

Steve nodded in approval. “We’ll be waiting for you.” He said, before walking out of the lab, present still clutched in his hand. 

Tony blinked the tears back and took out one of the guns he had been planning to give to Natasha. Tony hoped that they would do for Bucky- after all, they had taken weeks to make. He found some left over wrapping paper for the Christmas ball, and wrapped it up in there, before switching the lights off and walking out of the worksop, trying to ignore the tears blossoming in his eyes. 

“Common lounge, JARVIS.” Tony said, feeling like a caged animal in the elevator. The doors opened, and he walked through the kitchen to the lounge, where he saw the Avengers and Barnes sitting together watching a movie. Again, Barnes was occupying two seats, and Tony, yet again, had nowhere to sit, so he had to stand there and watch them, again. 

“Hello, guys. I heard that we were opening presents for Barnes…?” Everyone ignored him, and that hurt more than whispered comments and snarky insults. He could deal with them- at least it showed that they were accepting his presence, unlike when they ignored him... that made him feel out of place, like a square shape trying to fit through a circular hole.

Suddenly, Bucky looked up at him, and smiled that same, predatory smile he had had that morning. Tony shivered. 

“Hey, Tones. You wouldn’t want to miss out on watching me open my presents on my birthday, would we?” Bucky said, breaking the silence. Tony flinched. 

“I hope you brought something good, Stark. You're huge ego obviously gets in the way of you being friendly. I hope you enjoyed sitting in your lab. Bucky was upset that you weren't here. And we always make an effort for your birthday.” Clint said. 

“Yep. My present is awesome. So… who’s giving there’s first- Nat, maybe?” Tony said, covering his hurt with a mask of eagerness, trying to ignore what the archer had just said. Steve just glared at him in anger, not even defending Tony. 

“It’s Bucky birthday, or have you forgotten already? And I think that entitles him to pick whose present he wants to open first- not you.” Steve snapped. 

“Sorry… I was just-“

“Not thinking. And only friends call me Nat.” Natasha said to him, her eyes piercing into him like daggers. 

Why were the team suddenly acting so strange? Why did they suddenly hate him so much?

“I’ll open Stevie’s first.” Bucky smiled when Steve gave him the present. He unwrapped the parcel carefully, trying hard to not rip any of the wrapping paper it was enclosed in. The paper gave way to show a beautiful sketch of the Avengers, during their most recent battle against Loki. The scene was of the Avengers encased by a hypnotic red cloud, Steve and Bucky in the front and centre; Bucky was the only one not in the red aura. Tony also noticed the absence of himself, but tried to act impressed and pleased with it, complimenting it like the rest of the Avengers were. Steve had a rather strange expression in the painting- he looked like someone had just died in front of him. Odd. 

The next gift was from Natasha, and was a set of beautifully handmade Russian blades sitting in a dark oak box. The blades were beautiful, and had Russian inscriptions on the handles. They looked costly and expensive. Probably cost him loads. Clint and Bruce chipped in together and bought Bucky a motorbike painted in red, silver and black. The bike was amazing, and they the trio agreed to take it out for a spin after dinner. 

Then, it was Tony’s turn. All eyes turned to him, making Tony want to disappear into thin air. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that, so he instead handed his messily wrapped present to Bucky, an easy (he hoped) smile plastered on his face. 

Bucky practically snatched his present out of his hands, and tore away the wrapping paper, leaving shreds of it all over the floor. The Avengers took this as a sign of excitement, so they all peered round the ‘birthday boy’ to see what Tony had given him. Bucky took out the small gun out of the pile of shredded paper, and held it up to the light. 

The gun had six chambers, which allowed for extra storage space for the bullets, and was made out of lots of small complicated parts. It had taken Tony weeks to make, and he almost felt like giving up, the only thing keeping him going was the smile on Natasha’s face at her party. Now… Tony felt like he shouldn’t have bothered. The gun was simply glanced at, shoved in Barnes’ pocket, and then forgotten about almost instantly. 

"Really, Tony? You couldn't have gotten him a better present, what with all that money you have. You are a disgrace." Steve said, turning his head away from Tony. 

"You guys want to go to lunch? No, not you Tony. The Avengers only." Natasha said. Everyone- apart from Tony- stood up and walked out of the room cheerily, leaving Tony standing in a messy lounge room covered in bits of wrapping paper, empty pizza boxes and rubbish scattered all over the lounge.

“Call the cleaning crew, JARVIS.”

“Unfortunately, sir, the cleaning crew are currently unavailable.”

"Oh..." Tony said. 

He stood there in the middle of the room for a second, taking in the mess. Slowly, he bent down on his knees and started to pick up the garbage. It was going to take him ages. 

Laughter was still echoing down the hall. He should be with them- not Barnes. 

"No not you, Tony. The Avengers only." Natasha had said to him. 

He wasn't even worth their time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone!
> 
> I'm really sorry that I haven't update in a while, but here is Chapter 4. I really hope you like this one, and there will be a LOT revealed in this. If you guessed correctly, well done!! Give yourself a lovely pat on the back. If not, don't worry, there will be plenty more opportunities to get it right. I know that this chapter is really short, but the next chapter should hopefully be the last, so it will be quite long. 
> 
> Anyways, happy reading!
> 
> \- TonyStark941

Tony finished picking up the paper, and dumped it in the trash can. He was so sick and tired of this. He had been burned by his so-called 'friends' and boyfriend one too many times- it was officially time to take action. He was stupid to think that it would all roll over, and that things would go back to how they were before; they wouldn't, especially not with Bucky around. The team (not his, as Natasha had most spitefully pointed out) were still yet to return, so Tony knew that he would have at least a few hours (hopefully) to work out what to do. 

 

He thought back to before the team had started acting strange, but nothing odd had actually happened. Well... except from Loki- but nothing had happened there. It was just a coincidence that that had been the day the team had stopped being nice to him. To be fair, Bucky had always been off with him ever since he arrived. Steve, however, was slightly distance, but he hadn't acted horribly to Tony until the Loki fiasco. 

 

Tony didn't want to spring the blame on the insane demigod, but it was kind of hard not to, when every clue he could think of pointed to him. He sighed, and thought back to the past hour, before everyone had left him without a backward glance. He was still feeling it. Sue him. The gun that he'd given was good...wasn't it? he had spent so long, and that was so _not _going to waste. As soon as he got the chance, that gun was going back to him. Tony literally didn't care if he had to _rip _it out of Bucky's hands in front of the team. They had completely stepped over the line, and enough was enough. He was so _not _putting up with this.______

______ _ _ _ _

______He walked over to the bar, and poured himself a glass of whiskey. As the liquid burned the back of his throat, Tony felt that he could suddenly relax, that he was now able to think clearly. He padded out of the room, and went straight into his workshop, where he sat down on his worn out chair, and waved his fingertips in a complicated pattern, until a bunch of bright blue holograms appeared, floating leisurely around the room._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______"JARVIS?" Tony called, stroking DUMMY's claw, chuckling as the robot began to 'squeal' in excitement. He _loved _his bots.___ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yes, sir?" JARVIS replied._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Pull up anything that looks suspicious since... two weeks ago," Tony commanded, the end of his sentence coming out as more of a question than an order. JARVIS didn't say anything, but Tony knew that he heard when the holograms showed him video after video of the past two weeks. Tony watched in horror as he saw a red energy mist wrap around the Avengers whilst they were having his tea. None of them seemed to realise, but as soon as that had had happened, their usually happy moods had darkened noticeably, and the became significantly angrier. He watched himself stroll into the kitchen once the energy had disappeared, and saw the team's glares and cold words._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The next video showed Loki laughing at him as the Avengers fought. "You are so naive and oblivious, Stark. Look at your team members- can you not see the difference in them?" He had asked, cackling madly before flying off. Tony had only ignored him then, writing him off as insane, but it was beginning to make sense all of a sudden. The red mist was in his team's eyes as they fought- how had he not noticed?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tony watched video after video show him the red energy, the way that Bucky never touched it, but seemed to be able to see it. He saw Bucky slip things into their drinks, and have shifty conversations with someone named 'Baron Wolfgang von Strucker' on a red flip phone that Tony had certainly never seen before. The last video set everything in stone. It was of three hours ago, when Steve gave Bucky his portrait. The team's faces looking terrified, the red mist that surrounded them all, but never touched Bucky or Tony._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"JARVIS, zoom in on the left hand corner of the drawing." Tony really hoped Steve was god at drawing fine details, because Tony was so close to solving the mystery of whoever was responsible for the energy mist, other than Bucky, of course._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"As you wish, sir." As the photo zoomed in, Tony could feel the dread creeping up in his veins. He knew that woman...it was-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Wanda Maximoff, sir. I have run a facial recognition scan, and out of the nine matched, hers was the closest. It seems you have found the reason as to why the Avengers are acting most hurtfully to you," JARVIS said, making Tony's head snap up at the feared confirmation. The Scarlet Witch had returned._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"She broke out of Miami Maximum Security Prison just under a month ago, and SHIELD have had reports of her being seen with the leader of Hydra," JARVIS said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What's his name?" Tony asked cautiously._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Baron Wolfgang von Strucker,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Well, shit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"S-si-sir... I-I-I s-s-s-seem t-t-t-to b-be m-malfunctio-" JARVIS sounded, his voice warping on every syllable before being cut off._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"No! JARVIS! Oh god... Oh god... Breathe, Tony. Deep breaths. Hydra hasn't taken over him. The energy can't get to him...can it?" Tony cried anxiously, sprinting to JARVIS's control room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The wiring was all intact, and there was nothing wrong with the code. It looked perfectly fine, unless you looked at the red energy suffocating it. It was thick on the outside, completely coating it, like a second skin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Suddenly, the lights went off, and he was plunged into darkness. The witch's powers must have been strong enough to completely cover it, because not even a single ray of light radiated from the usually bright machine._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Hello, Stark..." A thick, Sokovian accent purred from the speaker in the room, the dangerous female lilt sounding manical._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Fuck. He was so _dead. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out I'm a bit of a silly person, and can't decide how many chapters I really am doing. This was supposed to be the last chapter, but I got a bit distracted (and tired), so i have decided that there will be one more chapter after this. One more. For definite. K?

Wanda’s angry greeting filled the room, sharp and deadly. It echoed and reverberated off the walls, making Tony completely freeze and snap his head up to the location of her voice. He could feel the delicate bones in his spine tense and stand on edge, as if he were about to run away. Which he obviously couldn’t do, considering that the room was pitch black, and, if his calculations were correct, then she should be standing right where the only exit was. 

 

Wanda took his silence for fear, not realising that his brain was whirring like one of his gauntlets before firing as he desperately thought up the best plan he possibly could. “Stark…” she purred, danger in her tone. “How lovely to… bump into you.”

 

Tony sighed, feeling the familiar anger burn through him every time she spoke in that sick, sadistic voice. “I’ve called SHIELD. They’ll be here in less than 10 minutes, so I suggest you get out of here whilst you can.” Obviously, he didn’t want her to leave, but once he had recovered JARVIS, he would be able to find her. 

 

The lights flickered on suddenly, making Tony startle. Wanda stood at the entrance of the room (he was right!) and was grinning from ear to ear much like Clint did- used to do- when Tony told a dirty joke. 

 

The witch strutted towards him, her lithe figure surrounded by a cloud of bright red energy. “We’re going to play. And then I’m going to kill you.” She laughed. 

 

Tony stared at her, his gaze unflinching. “Don’t you care that SHIELD will catch you and find you doing this, and that there will never be a chance of you leaving that cell?”  
She so ¬didn’t seem to realise that they were standing in a room full of tech, JARVIS’ control panel, and a mobile phone sitting happily in his pocket. HYDRA really was good at turning stupid people stupider. 

 

Wanda laughed, but carried on walking. “I know for a fact that you haven’t called anyone. No one would save you anyway, even if they knew that I was about to break you, tear you to pieces, rip you and your team apart like you did to my family.”

 

Whilst she spoke- she really loved speaking, apparently- he scanned the room for the power dampener collar he had installed in the room in case this ever happened. Hope filled him when his eyes spotted the small white box in the corner of the room. All he had to do was get to it and put it on her. 

 

Tony tried again. He needed more time. “Why do you need to kill me?” He asked, subtly shuffling towards the box, still facing Wanda. 

 

“Somehow, you are the glue that holds the Avengers together.” Wait…what? That was most certainly not true. What the- “HYDRA have been trying to work out how to eliminate the Avengers for a while, when it came to me that it’s you. It’s always been you.” She paused, not looking at him, but at her glowing hands. 

 

Tony shivered at the sight, but carried on moving towards the box, praying she wouldn’t notice. Luckily, she way too caught up in her speech to realise what he was doing. 

 

“All it took was a little nudging from me to make it happen, and Barnes was more than happy to kill you so that he could get to Steve. You were in his way, so, together, we worked out a plan to destroy  
you.” She continued. “Bucky went undercover, gained their trust and intel to help us, whilst I fixed their minds, showed them that you are not good enough, that you should be hated.”

 

Well, at least he now knew that the Avengers weren’t acting like that on purpose. 

 

“My death won’t ‘break’ anyone. Sure, maybe Bruce will be upset that he can’t find someone to help him finish the Pants Project, and Steve might cry a bit, but, let’s face it- they’ll get over it, find someone new. Just not Bucky. Definitely not Bucky.” Tony said, realising that his ramblings weren’t all lies. He knew that he was irreplaceable, it just kind of hurt to accept it. 

 

There was a slam somewhere, and Tony really prayed that it was the team, because he was not doing so well with this power dampener situation. It had been quite a few minutes, and Wanda was still looking at him. 

 

Unfortunately, luck was so not on his side, and he ended up being pinned to the wall by a furious Bucky who had just come running it, smashing through a wall. 

 

Well, at least there was another escape route. Except, he probably wouldn’t be leaving that until he was zipped up snugly in a body bag and wheeled out. Oh, well. 

 

He was aware of Bucky’s hot- gross- breath fanning on his face, and the hands wrapped tightly around his neck, slowly choking the life out of him. Ouch. He was really struggling to breathe. 

 

“Stop!” He heard someone- surprisingly Wanda- shout. “I want to kill him myself.” Oh… so much for a saviour then. It seemed he would have to get out of this himself, the old fashioned I’m-a-Stark way. 

Yay. 

 

The hands around his neck dropped, and he fell to the pile in a heap. He would have let out an unmanly squeak, but he was to busy trying to breathe in the air, that no sound was coming out. 

 

He looked up to see the two HYDRA ‘agents’ chatting (more like arguing) with each other in furious tones. Every once in a while, one of them would gesture to him, but he still couldn’t hear them, even when straining his ears.

 

Once Tony had gotten his breath back and felt like he could take in a sufficient amount of air, he slowly rose up, lifting himself off the ground. It turned out that he was on the wall facing JARVIS’ monitor, and he saw that it no longer had Wanda’s powers all over it. 

 

He pulled his spare mobile phone out of his pocket, and held it behind his back, blindly fixing the damaged parts of JARVIS’ code, until he saw, with a relieved sigh, that JARVIS’ lights were flashing on. 

 

Perfect. 

 

He held his arms out, feeling the buzzing in his wrists as the chips connected with the armour as it flew towards him. Wanda and Barnes were too caught up in their little quarrel to notice his grab for the earpiece on the counter- look at all this tech appearing out of nowhere- and place it in his ear, clicking it on. 

 

“JARVIS?” Tony whispered, beaming as his AI replied. “Suit’s ETA?”

 

“3.78 seconds, sir. And thank you.” JARVIS replied, somehow conveying thankfulness in his tone. 

 

Tony chortled. “My pleasure. You ready to bust some ass?” he asked, just as the suit flew into the room, soaring through the hole in the wall where Barnes had seemingly materialised from. 

 

“Always, sir” was JARVIS’ reply. 

 

The suit flying in had clearly gotten the two HYDRA agents’ attention, as they were standing open mouthed as the suit clinked onto him, encasing him. 

 

Barnes was the quickest to recover. He ran over to where Tony was, and started delivering puncheswith insanely quick reflexes. Tony tried to block them, but the suit hadn’t fully gained all its functions, and was sluggish and slow. 

 

“JARVIS, how long until repulsor power?” he asked, a tad bit desperately. 

 

“Approximately two minutes,” JARVIS replied. “Would you like me to call Captain Rogers?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Tony noticed that the suit was beginning to speed up, and he started to throw punches back, knocking Barnes into the wall.

 

Wanda seemed to snap out of her trance and tried to use her powers to do some weird mind control on him, but it didn’t work, of course. Ever since Loki, Tony had elected to make his suit magic-proof.  
He never wanted to have to spend the day talking in song lyrics again. 

 

Barnes jumped up to where he had fallen, and advanced onto Tony, arms guarding his face. 

 

“Repulsors?” Tony asked. 

 

JARVIS answered quickly. “24 seconds. Steven Rogers, along with the other Avengers are currently not answering their phones.” Tony let out a grunt as Barnes punched him in the ribs. 

 

“Track them.”

 

Tony dodged a Wanda’s magic, and pushed her hard onto the ground, knocking her out. One down, one to go. 

 

“Sir, repulsors ready in 3…2…1” 

 

There was a loud crash as Tony fired the beam, making Barnes jump back like a scared animal. Tony advanced on him, feet clanking intimidatingly against the tiled floor. 

 

“I will kill you!” Barnes shouted, leaning against the wall. The repulsor had fired on his leg, which was now a bleeding mess of ripped cloth and flesh. 

 

Tony just stared at him. “The Avengers are unbreakable. We look after each other. They’re coming. Wait and see.” He said, blasting off the soldier’s arm. 

 

The Winter Soldier let out a cry of barely concealed agony as his metal arm clattered to the ground, but the obvious pain he was going through didn’t stop him from speaking. “Have fun finding them. 

 

They’re as good as dead.” He said, before passing out onto the floor, leaving Tony standing in a ruined suit in a room holding two unconscious ex-Avengers-turned-HYDRA. 

He shrugged the suit off, and opened a small compartment, containing a syringe, medical supplied and a packet of biscuits. He removed the syringe, and plunged the green liquid into the soldier's neck. It was an advanced tranquiliser that would essentially render the enemy in a coma-like state for a few days. Ever since Loki- yes, he know takes loads of precautions since bloody Loki- he knew that he needed something strong enough to knock someone in close proximity to him out, and, along with Banner, they had invented Clug. It was his first batch, so the effects could change, but, hey, at least Clug had it's first test subject. 

 

Once Tony was sure that Barnes would remain unconscious, he yanked the power dampener box off the wall, and took out the collar, wrapping it tightly around Wanda's neck, making sure that it wouldn't strangle her. She relied too much on her powers, and Tony suspected that she was pretty useless without them. Even so, he tried her against the wall with some loss wire, before calling Fury to collect Wanda and Bucky, to which Fury replied with 'get your motherfucking ass here right now, Stark, and tell me what shit happened', before Tony promptly hung the hell up, the idea of him having to fil out a mission debriefing quite traumatising. Truth be told, Tony stark hated paperwork.

 

Tony flew out of the room and landed with a groan of pain into the hallway, parts of the suit falling off him. Barnes and the witch had really done a number on his suit. To be fair, it was only a prototype,  
but the spectacular amount of time it took to be fight-ready was actually kind of embarrassing. As soon as he found the team, Tony was going to work on a new suit. But now-

 

“JARVIS, which of my suits is in best condition. I need good repulsors and flight power.”

 

LED words and number danced upon the helmet’s screen. “That would be the Mark V, sir. Flight power at 112%, repulsors at 68%.” 

 

That should do. 

 

“Call it. It’s time to save some Avengers.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter is up FINALLY! I am so sorry for leaving you guys for waiting for almost five months- I didn't mean to, promise! Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoy it!

“Are you seriously telling me she left you all at the local Starbucks?” Tony muttered to himself. He walked over to the entrance, one of his hands slightly lifted in case of an attack. To be honest, Tony didn’t know what he was expecting to attack him. An angry mother with a stroller? A crazed Starbucks employee angry about his wages? Tony sighed. 

He went through the clear double doors and was just about to ask JARVIS to scan for the Avengers, when he saw them clustered around a table heaving with hot drinks and warm pastries. Although the five of them seemed comfortable enough, they all looked very, very confused. They were looking around curiously, as if trying to remember something. Well, at least he now he knew exactly why they all looked like that. It was unfortunate that he hadn’t realised sooner.

Tony was aware of the awed hush that fell around the cafe as Tony walked past the numerous tables towards his kind-of-friends, but dutifully ignored it. Let them stare- he had better things to worry about. 

Steve’s eyes suddenly met his, well the eyes of his suit anyways, and he jumped up, alerting the others of Tony’s presence as he did so. Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and stopped walking when Steve rushed over to him. 

“Tony? Where have you been? None of us can remember anything. Do you know what happened to us?” Steve asked, voice wavering as he said the last part. Tony didn’t miss the anxious crease of his forehead, or the ‘I’m-so-worried-about-Tony’ face. 

“I think it would be better if we sat down, Cap- Steve, I mean.” Tony said awkwardly. Steve looked even more confused. 

The pair took a seat on the table, and then there was silence. Everyone was waiting for Tony to speak- clearly, they had heard the conversation. Well, more like the complete failure of a conversation, but, details. 

“Tony?” Steve prompted. “You were going to tell us…?”

Tony jumped. “Right. I’ll just get this suit off, then. Not very comfortable to sit in anyway. Well, not for a long time; Fury’s debriefings are a pain in the ass, so the suit is good for-” Natasha cleared her throat, making Tony stop his ramblings. He felt oddly self-conscious when he took the suit off, and when he sat back down (the suit subtly positioned in Sentry mode just in case), he was met with five concerned faces. 

Clint spoke, looking suspiciously at Tony. “What happened to you?” Oh yeah. The blood and bruises from the fight. 

“Nothing.” He said too quickly. They did so didn’t believe him. “Do you guys not remember anything at all?” Everyone shook their heads. Well, that would make this easier. “So, remember Wanda? Yeah? She brainwashed you all into being very stick-up-the-ass people. I wasn’t affected by her spell…for some reason. Anyway, whilst you guys were all acting strangely, she thought she could go and break apart the Avengers.”

Bruce’s eyes were turning green. “What? Did she hurt you?”

Tony paused, debating whether or not to tell him that it was actually them that hurt him, but decided to spare his feelings. They never needed to know. “Um…no. She tried, but I managed to break the spell. She’s locked up in the tower with her Barnes.”

“You mean Bucky? Why?” Steve asked.

“Well, apparently he’s been working under the control of Hydra before he fell off the train. According to JARVIS, that whole thing was a big cover story. Oh yeah, and Wanda’s HYDRA to.”

His ‘audience’ gawped at him. Well, everyone but Natasha who looked completely indifferent- though, when did she not. He chuckled, the grin feeling big and fake on his face. 

“Irksome, isn’t it?” he stated. 

Tony filled them in on everything that had happened since his birthday but chose to leave out the bits where they weren’t so nice to him. He couldn’t tell them- they would realise that they did in fact hate him. He was half expecting them to tell him that they weren’t under the influence of Wanda’s mind control when saying those things to him. 

When the six of them eventually trudged out of the suspiciously quiet Starbucks (he’d have to get the press team on that) and back to the tower, the Avengers were (almost) fully informed of what had happened during Wanda’s attack on them. 

Fury and his band of junior SHIELD agents were just finishing taking Bucky and Wanda away when they arrived. Fury strolled up to Tony.  
“A word, Stark,” he said. Tony followed him into a corridor. 

“We’re taking Barnes and Maximoff to SHIELD headquarters, where they will most likely remain for the rest of their lives. Is there anything I should know?” Fury said. 

“No.” Tony replied shortly. 

Fury paused, looking him up and down. “I know what happened between you and the Avengers, Stark. I also know you haven’t told them.”

Tony sighed. “It’s none of your business. It’s all in the past now. They never need to know.”

“If this affects the dynamics of the team, I will be left with nothing to do but to tell them. Am I clear?” 

“Crystal.” Tony said, walking out the corridor. 

He walked into the sitting room, and had sudden wave of deja vu. 

His team were sitting on the sofas around the TV, watching some animated kids programme. Natasha and Clint shared a couch, and were sitting so close, they were practically on top of each other. Thor and Bruce shared another. It was weird, but nice at the same time. They seemed much closer after they returned from wherever they had come from after Ultron, and Tony was happy that Bruce and Thor had each others best friends. Bruce seemed much happier now, and, if Thor's even louder booming was an indication, the God with a truckload of family issues was also happy. 

Tony looked over to the last remaining couch, and, for the first time in what felt like forever, there was a space next to Steve. A nice Tony-sized space next to his boyfriend, reminding him of the happy times before Wanda and Bucky. Something warm fluttered in his chest as Steve pulled him closer. 

“Are you okay?” Steve whispered to him, his hands gently carding through Tony's hair. 

“I am now.”

But Tony knew that he wuld have to tell them eventually. He just didn't know how.

 

Turns out that you can't hide things from your family. Because, in the end, the lies will always be uncovered and the truth will come out. 

Whether you're ready or not...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS FIC IS NOT OVER. I REPEAT IT IS NOT OVER>>> Please don't hate on me for not giving you closure becasue there will be closure. A lot of it!!! Thanks so much for reading, commenting and leaving kudos!
> 
> \- TonyStark941


	7. Happy Endings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dudes and Dudettes!  
> I'm sorry for leaving you stewing for this long. I got really busy and this chapter took a looonnngggg time to write. But it's here now! No one kill me for the delay. Thank you so much to everyone that has commented, bookmarked and given kudos to this work. Really, it means a lot to me.  
> Thanks everyone, and happy reading!!!!  
> Love TonyStark941  
> x

Tony looked around at the Avengers, feeling a mixture of emotions to have them all sitting there. Finally, his family was back to normal, but he felt like there was some kind of wall between them that had lodged itself in place during the aftermath of what was now pegged ‘The Wanda Incident’. 

Although Steve seemed to have handled Bucky’s ‘evilness’ quite well, Tony noticed that his boyfriend’s eyes would linger on old pictures of him and Bucky, and he would run his fingers against the handprint on the wall that served as a reminder of Tony’s very near death, his eyes filled with something that looked akin to regret. 

Tony really did try to push down the thought of Steve regretting choosing Tony over Bucky, but he couldn’t help it. After all, there was a whole museum dedicated to Steve and Bucky’s past, and he had seen the files full of pictures of the two of them together back in the 40s. 

He pushed down the sick feeling in his stomach and picked up a hammer. He bashed in a piece of metal until it was completely flat, and sipped his coffee, wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead. 

DUMMY chirped morosely from his charging station, and Tony felt like his AIs had a better idea of what he was feeling than all of the Avengers combined, including Steve, the man he thought he loved, but now couldn’t look at him without flinching, the harsh words that he had said to him coming to mind every time he looked into those clear blue eyes. 

Tony thought that it would be okay to not tell them, that they never needed to know, but he hadn’t quite thought it through. Even though he had deleted all evidence of what they had done to him, Tony knew that the haphazard story he had quickly blurted out to them was most clearly full of lies. Even he knew that most parts of the story didn’t add up, let alone two spies and his boyfriend. 

It was clear that the Avengers had seen a difference in him, most likely due to the point that he had been distancing himself from his team members by ‘hiding away’ in the workshop more than he usually did. 

Tony didn’t miss the crease in Steve’s brow when Tony wouldn’t come to the movie night or when he downright refused to sit with them at breakfast. 

Tony didn’t miss the way Clint and Natasha would share a glance every time someone mentioned not being able to remember his birthday and Tony mumbling something unintelligible. 

Tony didn’t miss the way Bruce gave him a concerned look every time Tony declined going out with them to dinner to celebrate winning a battle. 

Tony didn’t miss the way Thor looked at him strangely whenever Tony agreed with him about how Loki wasn’t that bad at all. 

Tony knew that the team were getting suspicious, and JARVIS had told him that he had caught Natasha trying to hack into the security cameras, no doubt trying to find the (deleted) footage from ‘The Wanda Incident’. 

It was a surprise she hadn’t said anything. 

There was a loud knocking on the glass door of his workshop, and he looked over to see Bruce standing there, a confused look on his face. 

Turning off the music, Tony rolled his chair to the door. 

“Bruce,” he said. 

Bruce shuffled his feet and ran a hand through his curls. “Tony…are you okay?” Bruce asked nervously. 

Tony chuckled, but it sounded fake to his own ears. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?” 

Bruce shook his head. “Tony…” he began. “Open the door so we can talk properly,” 

Hell, no. “Nah, I’m fine here. What’s wrong?” Tony replied quickly. 

“Actually, I should be asking you the same thing,” Bruce sighed. “Tony, you’ve been acting really distant with all of us ever since the Wanda thing. Did something happen to you? If anyone hurt you, just tell us, and we’ll make sure they pay for whatever it is they’ve done,”

Oh, if only he knew. 

“No one’s done anything. I’m fine.” Tony said, trying to make Bruce leave. 

Bruce persisted though. “You really should come out, Tony. The team misses you. Steve says you never sleep in your room at night.” 

“It doesn’t matter! I’m fine.” He said, in way of dismissal. 

Bruce began to walk away, when he turned back to Tony. “It was us, wasn’t it? We did something to you.” He asked quietly. 

Tony didn’t say anything, and instead watched Bruce sigh discontentedly and leave. 

*** 

Tony woke up with an awful pain in his neck from the position in which he slept hunched over his desk, smudged writing on his cheek from where he had fallen asleep on his notes. 

According to JARVIS it was 3:22 in the morning. It was more sleep than he had gotten in a while. 

“JARVIS, is anyone in the kitchen?” he asked.

His AI told him that everyone was asleep, so Tony got up and walked out of the lab, hoping to get more coffee supplies and some food to last another week in the workshop, though, it wasn’t like he was eating much anyway. 

Feeling exhausted and dead on his feet, Tony stumbled to the kitchen, and opened the cupboard, pouring the coffee grains into the machine. He took out his Captain America mug and poured some creamer into it. 

The light suddenly clicked on, and Tony jumped, dropping the creamer. He pressed the button on his watch and slid out the gauntlet onto his hand, eyes darting wildly as he looked for whoever had scared him. 

He noticed his breathing becoming shallower and more strained, and his hand shook as he help up the gauntlet ready to fire. 

“Tony,” a gentle voice said. It was familiar and feminine. 

“Tony, it’s okay. It’s just us.” Another voice had spoken, concerned. 

Tony looked up and saw all of the Avengers standing there in their pyjamas, looking awake and alert, like they had been waiting for him. 

“What?” he said stupidly, blinking repeatedly. 

Steve walked over to him and lowered the hand raising the gauntlet, before taking his arm and leading him to one of the couches. 

The rest of the Avengers followed, and they all sat down, before turning to face Tony. 

He didn’t know how he was going to get out of this one, especially seeing as he had basically admitted to Bruce that they had done something to him. 

Maybe, just maybe, he should tell them the truth. 

No, actually. He couldn’t. It would ruin everything. 

“Anthony!” Thor boomed, snapping him back to Earth. “Tell us of your troubles!”

“Nothing happened…” Tony said burying his face in his hands. 

Bruce spoke up. “We all know that’s not true,” 

Steve rubbed Tony’s back soothingly. “Just tell us, Tones. It will be fine.” 

As Steve said that, something inside Tony snapped. 

“No. No. No. It will not be fine! It will never be fine!” He said, half shouting. He jumped up angrily. “You don’t understand what happened, and you never will!” He tried and failed to conceal his sob. “You don’t know what it’s like.” 

He collapsed back onto the sofa, feeling drained of energy. “I…I…I…” 

Natasha said softly. “We don’t understand what, Antoshka?” She said, rubbing his arm gently. 

Tony sobbed, furiously wiping the tears from his eyes. “You don’t understand what it’s like to have the only people that you have ever thought of as your family to treat you like your worthless. To act like you’re the shit at the bottom of your shoe.” 

Clint looked at him in surprise. “We did that?” 

Tony half glared at him. “Yes, you did that. But I don’t blame you. It was Wanda that made you say all those things, and I don’t know if it was all her or if they were your subconscious thoughts, but I don’t blame you, because...” he trailed off, furiously wiping tears from his eyes. 

“Because what?” Bruce prompted. 

“Because you were right. Everything you said to me and everything you did to me. You were right.” He stood up again and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “This is my resignation from the Avengers. It’s true. I don’t deserve to be a part of all of you. What use is a man in a metal suit when there are Gods and Hulks and Super soldiers and assassins.”

“Tony…”

“No, it’s true.” He dropped the paper on the coffee table. “Wanda was a wake up call. I can’t do this anymore.”

“Well…what about Iron Man?” Steve asked desperately. “You’re an inspiration to so many- you can’t just leave all of that behind.”

Tony shrugged. “Most people disagree with my ways and methods, and my past doesn’t exactly help my case. You guys are the true heroes, hell, I’m not even a real Avenger.” He saw Natasha flinch at that, a guilty look on her usually expressionless face. 

No one said anything, so Tony took it as his opportunity to leave. He walked out the room quickly and went straight to his workshop. 

“Blackout, JARVIS. No one in or out.” Tony said, shutting the door behind him. 

His eyes went straight to the locked cabinet full of scotch and vodka. 

One drink wouldn’t hurt…

*** 

Tony woke up for the second time today, but this time, instead of an aching neck, he had a pounding head. 

He also had a room full of Avengers sitting around the bed waiting for him. 

“Drink.” Natasha said, forcefully shoving a glass full of cloudy liquid towards him. He looked at her in confusion. “To get rid of the hangover.” 

He slurped it up eagerly, before setting the glass down on the table beside him and looking at the faces of the Avengers. 

No one looked particularly happy at him. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but Clint got there first. “Shut up, Tony. Don’t say a word.”

Tony closed his mouth rather quickly at that. 

Natasha appeared again in front of him, holding the folded-up piece of paper declaring his resignation from the Avengers. “Firstly,” she said, holding up the piece of paper. “No.” He watched her rip the paper into shreds. 

Tony was about to speak again, but Clint sent him a warning glare. 

Steve jumped up from the chair he was sitting on. “JARVIS showed up the security footage, Tony.” He paused, as if working up the courage to speak. “We know everything.”

Tony felt himself deflate. They really hated him now, didn’t they? 

“All of those things that we said were untrue. In fact, they are so far from the truth there in a whole different universe.” Bruce said. “You’re not worthless. You’re not a liability. Not to us. Not to anyone.” 

Tears pricked at Tony’s eyes. “But-”

“All that was said were the words of the evillest Wanda. Not us, friend Stark.” Thor said, his head bowed. 

Tony was handed a sheet of paper. It was a letter telling him that he was an official member of the Avengers. 

“This is long overdue, Tony. You have always been an Avenger, we just never actually made it official.” Natasha said. “But now it’s official. You’re part of our team. You always have been, and you always will be and Avenger.”

Tony wiped the tear that had escaped from his eye. “I just…I thought…I thought you all hated me. I mean, I knew that Wanda was making you say it, but I thought that they were your deep thoughts about me or something.” He looked over at Steve. “You and Bucky acted like you were together. You seemed happier with him than you have ever been with me.” He said pathetically.

Steve sighed and grabbed Tony’s hand. “Bucky is not who I thought he was. The things he said to you...I just...I'm so sorry, Tony. We didn''t help you, we just hurt you. We made you feel like...we made you feel like shit." Tony just managed to choke out a 'Language!', before the tears came back. "The 40s were just me and Bucky horsing around. I was never in love with him. Never. Not even when we were together. Bucky was my past, but you? You, Anthony Edward Stark, are my present, and, if you will still take me, my future.”

As he said that, Tony fell in love with him a bit more than he already did. “I love you, Steve.” He mumbled. 

“I love you too, Tony.” 

Suddenly, the door burst open, and in walked in Rhodey and Pepper, the two of them sweating as they lifted a huge cake with what looked like a billion candles into the room. They sat it down on the table, panting. 

“Happy birthday, Tony!” Pepper said breathlessly. 

And suddenly, the whole room burst out into a song of ‘Happy Birthday’ whilst Tony sat on his bed contentedly, knowing that this, this was his family, and that they were forever, and that they loved him. 

“Make a wish! Make a wish!” Everyone shouted. 

He leaned over the candles and closed his eyes. 

'I wish that everyday would end as perfectly as this.' he thought in his head.

And then he blew out the candles.

When the party was over, and it was just him and the Avengers again, Steve went up to him. "Tony, you save us. You saved us from Bucky and Wanda. And you never told us what happened. You wanted to spare our feelings, to which I say thank you, but never do that again, please. Don't hide things from us, even if you know it could hurt us. You shouldn't have ever felt that way, and I can't believe that I was one of the people that made you feel so worthless and insecure." The rest of the team nodded, everyone in silent agreement. 

"You saved us, but now it's our turn to save you,"


End file.
